


Sweet as Sugar, and a Little Bit Spicy

by R_E_R6



Series: Buddie Christmas 2020 [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Allergies, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, M/M, Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_E_R6/pseuds/R_E_R6
Summary: While watching Christopher for the day, Buck helps him make Cinnamon rolls for Eddie. The only problem? Buck is allergic to cinnamon. Cue worried Eddie, even though Buck insists he is fine.Then there are also all of the feelings.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Buddie Christmas 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056614
Comments: 9
Kudos: 226
Collections: 25 (More) Days Of Buddie





	Sweet as Sugar, and a Little Bit Spicy

**Author's Note:**

> Day 17 of the Buddie Discord Christmas Advent, with the prompt: "I didn't know you were allergic to cinnamon."
> 
> Note: This directly follows my first advent but both can be read separately as stand-alone fics.

Eddie makes his way through the halls of Buck’s apartment building feeling victorious. With Buck watching Christopher, he’d successfully managed to finish off the majority of his Christmas shopping, including those for the two themselves. Overall, it was a good day even if he is completely wiped out from bustling through the unwieldy crowds. But, he’s still eager in his stride as he makes his way to Buck’s door having missed them all day. The desire to get back to either of his boys re-energizes him like nothing else after a long day, and having both of them waiting for him increases that feeling tenfold.

Knocking isn’t necessary when he reaches the door. Instead, he flips to the shiny silver key nestled next to the gold keys that open his own front door and his Abuela’s. It’s not that new, not really, but it is a new addition to his keyring. It felt significant when he’d secured it on the ring after their first date two weeks ago, like an official ceremony to mark the transition from friends to more. Now, instead of it sitting on his key hook waiting for the day Buck might lose his key or need to be checked up on, Eddie keeps them in his pocket linked to his own, right next to his tattered wallet that has Chris’ first baby picture inside and the engraved words “I love you, Dad!” that he’d gotten from Shannon on his first father’s day. Another little slice of his word nestled where he can always feel their presence. 

Sliding the key into the lock now, just because he can and is welcome to, Eddie smiles softly and twists it until he hears the soft “ch-tick” of lock sliding free to welcome him inside. Despite being a fairly new building, the door creaks slightly as he pushes it open. It’s something Eddie has found annoying before when following Buck inside, but now it feels like a choir -albeit terrible and way out of tune- singing to welcome him home. Home, because anywhere with Buck and Christopher feels like exactly where he should be and has done for a long time. 

What has never happened before though, is the sensation he is hit with as soon as he steps through the entryway. The whole house is warm, almost uncomfortably so after being outside in the cold for the few moments it took to get from his truck to the door. It stops him dead as the warm air surges forward to caress his face, bringing with it the overwhelmingly sweet smell of sugar and cinnamon. He shouldn’t be so surprised, really, he knew Chris wanted to bake with Buck today and had expected Buck to agree without question. Buck isn’t as enthusiastic about baking as Eddie is, but he does so pretty well and is always ready and willing to make Christopher happy where he can. It’s part of the reason Eddie lo-

“Dad!” Chris announces him excitedly, whipping his head around as Eddie pulls the key free from the lock.

“Hey, you’re back!” Buck isn’t as loud with his greeting but he is no less enthusiastic as turns with a grin. “How was paperwork?”

Eddie almost laughs at the obvious wink Buck sends his way from behind Christopher. It’s part of the cover story they’d come up with; as far as Chris knows, Buck has been watching him for the day because Eddie had to go to work to catch up on incident reports and not because he was out shopping for his Christmas presents. When Chris makes his way towards him though, he eyes Eddie’s empty hand with a curious look so Eddie is sure he has his suspicions. His kid is smart after all, it’s why he has to shop without him in the first place. Long gone are the days he could discreetly add items to the cart without his son noticing, or weave tales about them being for other children only to see the look of surprise on Christmas Day when he realises he “got one too.”

“Tiring,” Eddie replies honestly, “I got it all done though.”

_ Including yours,  _ he adds silently to himself. 

“Too tired for a surprise?” Chris asks as Eddie meets him halfway and scoops him into a hug. Eddie pulls back with a raised eyebrow, a silent question that he directs to both of them in turn before he speaks.

“Does this have anything to do with why it smells so good in here?”

“Maybe,” Chris grins widely, all teeth on show. 

“Hmm,” Eddie continues curiously, “Have you been making gingerbread houses? Do I get to judge?”

“Nope!”

“Have you....made me a birthday cake?”

“Dad it’s not even your birthday,” Chris reminds him with a giggle.

“Oh yeah,” Eddie says with a tut, “silly me. What’s this surprise then?”

“Cinnamon buns!”

Eddie perks up at that, his act dropping as genuine excitement takes over. He absolutely loves cinnamon rolls, even more so when they’re home made. He can’t wait. 

“Oh my God, where? I need them after today.”

Buck’s deep chuckle bounces through the room to land against Eddie’s chest. The choice to look at him in that moment isn’t a conscious one. As usual, he is drawn to him like the waves are drawn to the sand. 

“You’ll get them right after dinner,” Buck says pointedly while tilting his head to Chris, “Isn’t that right, Christopher?”

His son nods seriously, “Yup, no desserts before dinner. It’s your rule, dad.”

That last part feels unnecessary and Eddie knows Chris did it on purpose, throwing his words back at him and daring him to go back on them. Damn, being a responsible parent sucks sometimes, especially when your kids start holding you to your own standards. He could call a cheat day, name it an exception. It’s not like he hasn’t before on occasion, letting Chris have dessert for dinner after a big lunch when neither are particularly hungry but somehow it feels like that will come back to bite him this time. He settles for narrowing his eyes, his lips pursed, as he reluctantly agrees Chris is right. It feels like a defeat somehow, although it’s mainly due to how much it reminds him that Chris is growing up so fast. 

“So,” he deflects, pushing that thought away, “what did you make for dinner then?”

Buck rubs the side if his neck sheepishly and he and Chris share a look, the latter snickering from behind his hand. “Uh, a call to the pizza place you like…”

Eddie snorts, shaking his head at them both. 

“So you were so busy baking you forgot to make dinner,” he summises, only sounding mildly judgemental, “and yet you are lecturing me about prioritizing desserts. 

“Yup,” Chris confirms with a grin, looking immensely pleased with how the day turned out. Buck just shrugs with a half-nod and quickly turns back to washing the dishes. 

“The hypocrisy,” Eddie adds jokingly as he steps up to wrap his arms around Buck’s waist. He places a gentle kiss to Buck’s neck as the other swats at his wrist playfully.

“It’s not hypocrisy, we were just otherwise occupied and didn’t have the time or the will to cook. Plus, it’s your favourite so it’s win-win.” 

“Is that right?” he asks, nuzzling his face into Buck’s shoulder. 

“Exactly right.” Buck leans back into him even as his hands continue working beneath the suds. “Also,-  _ achoo _ .”

Buck’s shoulders bounce with the sneeze, knocking Eddie’s nose enough that his eyes water. He brings a hand up to rub at the bridge, feeling for injury out of instinct despite knowing it’s fine.

“Sorry,” Buck apologises, “you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Eddie assures him before returning to his previous position. With a chuckle, he jokes, “Did you get bubbles in your nose or something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

It seems like an odd answer to Eddie, almost like he’s trying to be more reassuring than the teasing called for. He doesn’t say anything else though, so Eddie lets it go figuring that he’s just overthinking it. 

They stay like that for the final few minutes until the pizza arrives, apparently having been timed for Eddie’s return since he’d texted Buck when he was on his way. It’s only when he returns from the door and sets the box on the table that he notices Buck rubbing at his eyes after setting down the dish towel. They’re red when he pulls away and Eddie steps into his space and brings a hand to his face. 

“Hey, what’s up with your eyes? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Buck agrees, his voice slightly too loud. “I’m fine, just a little soap from the dishes. I really shouldn’t have rubbed them.”

“Ouch,” Eddie croons sympathetically. 

“It’s fine, it’ll go away in a minute.”

“Well have you rinsed them? I can help if-”

“No, I’m good.”

This is strange, Buck is acting strangely, Eddie thinks. He can’t help but acknowledge the coincidences. First Buck is sneezing for no reason and now his eyes are stinging from soap, the same soap Eddie had already conveniently mentioned. Still, he could just be overreacting, it’s not that far fetched after all. Maybe it’s nothing, but Eddie still can’t shirk the feeling that something is off. Maybe Buck is coming down with a cold. Just because Buck’s cold symptoms usually begin with a fever and a stuffy nose, of which he has neither, doesn’t mean it couldn’t be different this time. Yeah, that’s probably it. 

Eddie doesn’t bring it up again through dinner. Instead, he listens as Chris relays their day, telling Eddie all about how they’d searched the internet to compare recipes before pulling out all the ingredients and measuring them all into individual bowls so that are ready to add. That explains the number of little bowls currently drying next to the sink. Eddie himself prefers to measure everything out as he goes along, although he has to admit Buck’s kitchen is much cleaner than his usually is after a day of baking. Perhaps there is some merit to having everything ready rather than trying to work around various bags and jars littered across the counter. When he mentions that to Buck though, the other man chuckles at him and says the mess is more to do with the way he usually rushes around the kitchen, shaking the ingredients free from the bags like they owe him money. That gets a glare from Eddie, which makes both of them laugh. 

The sound of their combined laughter, even if it is at his expense, is melodious. Buck’s baritone trill mixed with Chris’ twittered giggles create a harmonious symphony that Eddie wants to capture and turn into a song all about them. It’s almost enough to distract Eddie from the way Buck scratches at the backs of his hands, but not quite. Eddie isn’t sure if it’s the scratching that has made them red, or if that's the reason he is scratching in the first place. He doesn’t get to find out though as Buck quickly moves his hands beneath the table and continues his story, looking uncomfortable as he avoids Eddie’s gaze and focuses his attention on Christopher.

Two things become obvious then; the first is that something is definitely going on with Buck, there’s no denying that; and the second is that Buck clearly doesn’t want to talk about it yet. When Buck’s eyes turn from Christpoher to Eddie a little while later, open wide and slightly pleading before flickering pointedly back again, Eddie guesses that he might not want to draw attention to it in front of Christopher. That, in turn, has his mind racing as he goes through everything that could be wrong. At least, he attempts to. For some reason he can’t convince his mind to behave rationally and it takes him on a tangent of every worst case scenario, no matter how infeasible they are. Logically he can recognise that he is probably -definitely- overreacting with this line of thinking, but he can’t seem to stop regardless. 

It’s honestly a relief when they are all finished and buck heads to the kitchen to put the leftovers away. Eddie waits a moment while Christopher finishes talking, not wanting to interrupt him or alarm him by rushing to follow after Buck, but as soon as Chris wraps up his story and is done with his last bite, Eddie tells him to wait on the couch while he takes the leftover half to throw it away and return with his and Buck’s creation. 

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Eddie recognises the slight tinge of panic that bleeds through his calm facade and so does Buck if his heavy sigh is anything to go by.

“I’m fine, Eds, honestly.”

“If you’re so fine why won’t you tell me? You sneezed again at dinner for no reason, your eyes  _ aren’t  _ any less red, and you keep scratching like you have a rash.”

Buck is silent for one breath, two, three.

“Wait, you have a rash.. .” Eddie can feel the gears turning into his head, growing closer and closer to clicking into place. 

“It’s not a big deal, believe me, okay? Just let it go.”

Eddie can’t let it go, he’s already thinking it through, piecing it together as he mutters aloud.

“Sneezing, red eyes, he keeps rubbing them so probably itchy.... _ rash.” _

“Eddie, seriously it’s-”

_ CLICK _

“Are you-!” Buck winces at Eddie’s volume and he catches himself and leans in closer as he finishes off in a hiss. “Are you having an allergic reaction?”

Buck grimaces and says nothing. It’s all the answer Eddie needs to make a grab for his keys.

“Jesus Christ, Buck, let’s go.”

“Go where? Eddie, I’m fine.”

“To the hospital, where else?”

Buck lets out a chuckle that sounds delirious to Eddie’s ears. What could possibly be funny right now? Buck could be  _ dying.  _ People die from allergic reactions all the time. Okay, so what if he doesn’t seem to be struggling to breath or displaying any other symptoms that would call for immediate medical attention? Eddie is still worried, and that beats rationality easily. 

“Eddie, stop,” Buck places a hand on Eddie’s arm. When he looks down at the fingers around his elbow, Eddie notices they’re red and lined with nail marks where Buck has been scratching. He sighs dejectedly at the sight and covers the hand with his own. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me? I could’ve-”

“Done nothing,” Buck finishes for him, “because there is nothing to do but wait for it to go away. They’re mild symptoms. Annoying as hell, but mild. You know this, please don’t panic over nothing.”

“I still think we should go to the hospital, Buck,” Eddie reasons before cutting Buck off when he tries to interrupt. “Just to find out what caused this, you should be aware of what you’re allergic to.”

“Cinnamon.”

Eddie pauses, tilts his head, and stares. 

“Cinnamon?”

“Yup, cinnamon. I’ve known since I was six.”

“Cinnamon.” Eddie repeats, trying to get his head around this known knowledge that Buck has bestowed upon him with such certainty.

“Yes, cinnamon.” Buck chuckles. “Are we just going to keep repeating it?”

“Maybe,” Eddie says, the accusation clear in his voice, “I’m just trying to get my head around the fact that you decided to bake cinnamon rolls when you know you’re allergic to cinnamon. I didn’t know you were allergic to cinnamon.”

“There you go saying that word again.”

“Buck.” There’s warning in his tone and Buck’s shoulders sag.

“I didn’t.”

Eddie scoffs, utterly flummoxed by the ridiculousness of that statement. 

“You quite clearly did.”

“No, I mean I didn’t decide to.” At Eddie questioning gaze, Buck continues, his eyes drifting past Eddie to the living room. “Chris wanted to make you cinnamon rolls, said they were your favourite and I know how much you like them so I agreed. It’s stupid, I know, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Buck,” Eddie tries to keep the judgement out of his tone, not liking the way Buck deemed to fold in on himself as he spoke. “I’m just wondering why, that’s all, I’m not trying to berate you or anything. I just want to understand.”

Buck looks at him then, his eyes softening. “I know, I get that you were worried and I’m sorry. I just- He was so excited.”

“Oh my God,” Eddie groans, trying to hold back his laughter. He really does have the most ridiculous boyfriend. 

“And you love cinnamon rolls.”

“Not enough to asphyxiate you.”

“Mild allergy, Eddie. It’s basically hayfever.”

“Not the same thing at all.”

“Still,” Buck subtly concedes. It doesn’t go unnoticed and Eddie almost rolls his eyes at the way Buck deflects. Like he said, ridiculous. “No need for a hospital visit, this isn’t my first time sucking up the itching. Rest assured, I will live.”

He sounds confident, sure, and there's nothing but honestly in his eyes as they bore into Eddie, willing him to trust him. 

“Fine, I won’t drag you to the hospital. But you’re taking some Benadryl even if I have to pour it down your throat myself, okay? I’ll be back soon wi-”

“Firstly, liquid Benadryl will probably only make things worse.”

Eddie’s head reels back at that, not understanding it all. It doesn’t make sense in the slightest.

“It uses cinnamon for flavouring,” Buck explains. Now it makes sense. 

“Okay, so I’ll get you-”

“Tablets? Already took some.,” he assures.

Eddie relaxes as Buck swings open a cabinet and shows him an open pack, already half empty. Eddie is both relieved and concerned. He’s glad Buck has medication, but the fact that this happens often enough for him to have used so many is not filling Eddie with confidence. 

“See, even though this is highly unlikely to kill me,” -he stressed “highly” for Eddie’s benefit, making him huff slightly even as his hands squeezes Buck’s comfortingly- “I took something anyway just to be safe.”

“Just so you know, ‘highly unlikely’ isn’t as comforting as you think it sounds. I’d rather there be no chance at all.”

Buck smiles at that and leans forward to peck Eddie on the lips. “That’s because you're a worrier.”

Eddie doesn’t dispute it. After all, how could he? It’s true. 

“Yeah, well....”

“And I am glad you do worry, honestly, even if you do try to drag me to the hospital for a rash that will go down in no time.”

“Okay, I’m sorry for hovering, I just-”

“Care,” Buck finishes without a hint of doubt. “You care, that’s all. It’s one of your best qualities.”

It’s Eddie that leans in to capture Buck’s lips this time. He kisses him soft and slow, pouring in every feeling he isn’t quite able to express with words and hoping Buck understands. Buck’s lips feel like heaven against his, comforting and warm, a perfect fit to his own that kiss him back with just enough passion. Eddie is sure he gets the message. 

“You’re supposed to be eating cinnamon rolls, not each other.”

Buck laughs as Chris’ voice breaks through their moment, and hides his face in Eddie’s shoulder. 

“And you were supposed to wait in the living room,” Eddie shoots back. He presses another kiss to Buck’s head before stepping back reluctantly until they’re back in their own spaces. He keeps ahold of Buck’s hand until the last possible second, squeezing again before he lets go and turns to grab a plate with two rolls already placed on it. Eddie is relieved to know Buck had no intention of actually eating one. “Come on then, I think we’ve made him wait enough.”

“Yeah you have, it’s been forever.”

Eddie’s face must portray his exasperation over Christopher’s dramatics because Buck sucks his lips between his teeth to hide his smile before turning to Chris. 

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he drawls, “we have only been a million years, that’s nowhere near forever.”

“You’re both ridiculous. Why did I choose this?” Eddie asks, more so to himself than the others.

“Because you love us,” Chris chimes anyway, leaving Eddie red-faced and spluttering as he is left unable to deny it. Which isn’t a problem per se, it’s just that he and Buck have only been dating for two weeks and that’s not nearly long enough to let those feelings roam freely out in the open, right? 

“Damn right,” Buck agrees cockily, a playful bravado that Eddie understands to be teasing as he reaches out to give Chris a high five. Eddie relaxes slightly as the tension dissolves, though he can’t help but feel a little disappointed as he thinks about what it would be like to say those words himself and have Buck believe them. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” He deflects before his mouth can do something his mind will regret. “I can get you some cream, maybe aloe for the itching.”

“I’m good, really, I’m only scratching because I’m thinking about it so much,” Buck insists, “I just need to distract myself from it and let the Benadryl do its thing.”

“Sweets and video games are a good distraction,” Chris suggests, seeing his chance and taking it. He really is growing up too fast, Eddie is not yet prepared for this level of quick wit and manipulation, no matter how well-intentioned. It makes him imagine Chris being a teenager, which makes him think about how soon that day will come, which makes him stress. Seriously, if he doesn’t get off of this thought train soon he’ll be the one with the rash. He can chalk it up to being allergic to his son growing up too fast for his liking. Yeah, that’s got to be a thing every parent develops at one point or another, surely. 

“Great idea.” Buck agrees easily, taking the plate from Eddie’s stilled hand and leading Chris out of the room. It gives Eddie a moment to compose himself, for which he is thankful, before he makes his way to the living room. 

They end up playing for much longer than anticipated, though Eddie doesn’t mind seeing as Buck does, in fact, stop scratching as much until he eventually stops completely. His eyes are back to normal too, the beautiful blue no longer rimmed with raw looking red. There’s still a slight discoloration to his hands, but at this point it could just be irritation from scratching so Eddie tells himself to leave Buck be and not insist he takes more meds. 

In the end, Buck is the one insisting, though his aim is for Eddie and Chris to stay the night. It’s not a hard sell to begin with, but the fact that Chris is clearly tuckered out from their day together closes the deal and Eddie quickly agrees before taking Chris upstairs to wash up.

When he comes back down, a towel clad Christopher in his arms, the couch has been pulled out into a bed and draped in sheets and blankets. Eddie sets him down and hands over his pyjamas -because that’s apparently a thing Buck keeps at his house now, much to Eddie’s enamoured surprise- and leaves him to get ready while he makes his way over to the kitchen. Buck is there, the packet of Benadryl in his hands again as he swallows back some water before placing it back into the box on the shelf that also contains his first aid kit and an inhaler. 

“Sapre for Maddie,” Buck informs him when he sees his look of confusion. Eddie smiles at that, it’s just so like Buck. 

“Inhaler for Maddie, pyjamas for Chris, were you a boy scout, Buckley?”

Buck rolls his eyes, “No, I just like knowing I have things around in case I need them. It’s why I keep an umbrella in my car, which you should do too. Just because it’s LA doesn’t mean it  _ never  _ rains _.”  _

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie brushes off the comment, having heard it many times before. It seems dating doesn’t mean Buck is going to stop busting his balls. It’s a relief, honestly. This is the Buck he fell in love with; teasing, mocking, banter and all. Eddie can’t help but feel it’s perfect, as if their relationship evolved and grew into something more, instead of changing from what it was. They’re still them, and Eddie loves him more than ever. For that reason, it’s becoming harder and harder not to say those words out loud even though it hasn’t been long at all.

“You’re overthinking again,” Buck observes. He rubs his hands up Eddie’s arms, leaning in to kiss Eddie’s furrowed brow. Eddie relaxes under the touch. “I’m feeling great, Eds, I only took more to be safe.”

“I know, I figured.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Eddie answers honestly. Everything feels perfect, is perfect, he just wishes he could voice all these feelings that fill him up and have him bursting at the seams. 

Buck must recognise the honesty in his denial because he nods slightly before kissing Eddie’s stubbled cheek. Eddie leans into the touch as Buck nuzzles his jaw. 

“So stop overthinking,” he says as if it’s just that easy. Only then, he kissed Eddie’s jaw. Then he does it again, and again, following the same path back and forth. Eddie, despite his reservations, finds himself melting into the blissful repetition until he can focus on nothing but the feeling of warmth that accompanies each press of Buck’s lips. “There, just like that.”

Eddie hums, his head tilting back ever so slightly. Buck takes the unconscious movement as an invitation and moves his kisses down to the underside of Eddie’s jaw, moving lower and lower to place lingering pecks against the line of his throat. 

Eddie opens his mouth to thank Buck, to tell him it worked and he is no longer overthinking. What comes out, though, is, “it’s hard to think at all right now.” 

Buck’s lips stay pressed against his neck, neither of them moving. Eddie feels like colour rises to the skin high on his cheekbones. Then the heat of Buck’s lips is gone and Eddie immediately misses the contact until fingers weave through his hair, pulling him closer so that their lips collide. They’re led by impulse, drawn closer and closer as desire swirls tightly around them. Buck’s tongue finds Eddie’s lips, licking into his mouth with unhurried precision. They take their time, kissing for the sake of kissing, for the sake of getting lost in the kiss and thinking of nothing but each other and this moment. 

Eddie is so into the kiss that he doesn’t notice he is clinging to Buck, his arms circling tightly around his waist and securing Buck’s body against his own, until Buck pulls away and allows them to catch their breaths. Once he notices, he doesn’t let go. Instead, he holds him tighter for just a second and places another gentle kiss against Buck’s lips. Then another, and one more just to be sure that Buck gets the message as he pours all of his feelings into each and every one. 

He reluctantly pulls away after the third lingers a little too long, after he presses a little too close. It wouldn’t be a problem at all, if only Chris weren’t within speaking distance. Eddie is pleased to say his son took the news of him and Buck dating remarkably well and had been excited to find out. However, no matter how glad Chris is that they are dating, he doubts he’d be so glad to look over and spot them if Eddie let this go even further. No one but the two of them needs to witness the things Eddie wants to do to Buck right now. 

“We should stop,” Buck says as if reading his mind. His eyes flicker to the living room too, clearly thinking the same thing Eddie is. It’s a little problematic because knowing that Buck is thinking about sex right now too only makes Eddie want him more. He can’t help it, nothing turns him on more than when his partner is just as enthusiastic and willing to take things further as he is. He has to force himself back a step just so he doesn’t scar his son for life. He even lets go of Buck, moving his hands to the counter either side of his waist instead. It’s not far, Eddie can’t bring himself to move away completely, but it’s enough space between them that Eddie can stop himself from grinding against him. Still, it doesn’t stop him from wanting to and he finds himself laughing quietly as he once again is hit by the realisation that he is so far gone on this man. 

“Chris could walk in any minute,” Eddie agrees, reminding himself more than Buck. 

“Mhmm.” Buck kisses him again and Eddie’s elbows bend the tiniest bit. Then, he gives in to his urge to be close and rests his head against Buck’s shoulder. They’re not kissing, this is fine. There’s basically no chance of this position getting heated, right?

“You know,” Eddie murmurs, his mouth taking on the challenge of proving him wrong as his tone turns sultry “It’s a little bit of a shame you’re not itching anymore.”

Eddie feels the movement as Buck’s head reals back. He’s obviously perplexed by the statement after Eddie was so worried over the itching earlier. Eddie just smirks and presses his face into Buck’s neck as he continues to speak. 

“I thought up a few more ways I could have kept you distracted after Chris goes to sleep.” With that said, he places his mouth on Buck’s neck where he knows him to be sensitive, and scrapes his teeth across it gently before sucking until Buck sags in his arms. Eddie’s hands grip his waist, holding him up as Buck releases a soft pleasure sigh. 

“We uh-” It’s clear Buck is having trouble speaking as he pauses to swallow his words. Still, he tilts his head back further as Eddie keeps working the skin between his lips and teeth. “We shouldn’t have sex with Chris downstairs.”

Eddie hums against his throat before his teeth sink into the skin. 

“You uh- you.” Another pause to catch his breath. “There’s no door.” Another gasp of air, followed a breathless chuckle. “Or walls.”

“I know.” Eddie murmurs before trailing more kisses up and down the length of Buck’s neck. “Gotta be quiet.”

“Yeah,” Buck agrees, before shaking his head. “No, you can’t.” 

Eddie pauses when he hears Buck say no, taking his mouth off of Buck as he waits for him to finish. Sure, he wants this to continue once Chris is asleep, and he thinks Buck wants this too, but he doesn’t want to push. 

“No?”

“Not no, just,” Buck rubs a hand along the back of Eddie’s neck, a reassuring touch as he catches his breath enough to articulate what he wants to say. Eddie leans back into the touch, accepting the comfort while also giving Buck more room to breathe. Now that he can see Buck’s face, he calms. He looks fine, relatively relaxed after what they have just been doing. “I’m not not sure you can keep quiet.”

It’s then that Eddie sees the teasing glint in his eyes and the hint of a smirk on Buck’s lips. Fuck, he wants to bite that smirk off his lips, the little shit. 

“Is that so?” Eddie challenges.

“Yeah, you’re way too loud with the compliments and the dirty talk.”

“You love it.” Eddie scoffs and is pleased when Buck nods easily.

“Hell yeah I do,” He agrees, “but Chris won’t when it wakes him up. It is way too early in our relationship to scar him like that, Eddie. There are no walls up there.”

“It’ll be fine. He’s a heavy sleeper and you’re not that loud anyway.”

“It doesn’t balance out, Eddie. It doesn’t matter how quiet I am if you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

Eddie grins then, all teeth, making sure Buck feels them against his skin before he leans up to whisper into his ear. 

“I can’t talk with my mouth full, Sweetheart.”

With that, he places one final kiss to the shell of Buck’s ear before backing away to lean against the counter opposite. They really do need to stop until Chris is asleep if they’re going to do anything more. And judging by the interest in Buck’s eyes as his eyebrows lift to his hairline, it is most likely happening. The way Buck bites his lip has Eddie once again yearning to bite it for him but he sticks to his side of the room and waits for Buck to respond. 

But, he doesn’t get the chance.

“I’m ready.”

They are both startled when Chris speaks. Eddie thinks Buck might have whiplash from how fast his head snaps to face him. He’ll have to remember to rub his neck later, just in case.

“Hey, ready for bed?”

Chris gives Buck a strange look, most likely because he’d just said he was ready. Nevertheless, he politely nods even as he eyes them both strangely. 

“Alright, I’m coming,” Eddie tells him, pushing away from the counter. He makes sure to avoid Buck’s gaze once those words leave his lips but he can see the amused twitch of his lips from the corner of his eyes and jabs him in the ribs as he walks past. 

“Buck too.” 

Eddie smiles at that. It really does warm his heart how easily Christopher has accepted this change in their relationship. 

“Yeah, Buck’s coming too,” Eddie confirms before turning to look over his shoulder, “right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” He looks slightly stunned but he takes it in his stride and steps forward with more confidence than he is probably feeling. Eddie slips his hand into Buck’s as he walks past and laces their fingers together, earning him a soft smile that sets his heart racing. 

They walk together, hand in hand, before splitting off at Christopher’s bedside to settle down either side of him. Luckily -or maybe by design, Eddie isn’t sure- Buck has a copy of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ and hands it over to Eddie, who quickly finds the chapter they’d left off on last night. Together, they read the next one, Chris lying back against his pillows and Buck playing with his hair as Eddie’s soothing voice fills the room. Then, because Chris insists and Buck backs him up, Eddie reads another before Chris gives out under the weight of his heavy eyelids and finally falls asleep. 

The silence continues on for a while, both men sitting in peace as Christopher rests between them. Buck is still curling a strand of Christopher’s hair around his finger and Eddie finds himself mesmerised by the movement, and by how much Buck clearly cares for his son. Then, Eddie breaks the silence without even thinking twice.

“I love you.”

Eddie freezes in place, but Buck’s movements don’t falter in the slightest. All he does is look up with a smile that stretches broad across his face and say, “I love you too.”

Eddie feels like he’s floating, and even wonders for a second if he was the one who fell asleep. This moment feels like a dream, but the hand that grips his own a moment later, solid flesh that sends warmth spreading outwards from it’s touch, lets him know he is here and this is real. 

“Christopher too. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Eddie whispers. He never had a doubt. “That’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”

It feels even better to say that time, and Eddie wonders if that pattern will continue with each and every utterance. He can’t wait to spend the rest of his life searching for the answer. For now though, he spends his time staring into Buck’s eyes and taking everything in, seeing everything he is feeling reflected right back at him. After a while, Buck’s eyes drift downward, back to Christopher. Eddie sees love in Buck’s eyes there too, different but still equal in measure, and he’s overwhelmed with joy. With one hand in Buck’s and the other rating on his son’s arm, Eddie imagines this is what it feels like to have the world at your fingertips. 

“He’s asleep. We should head up too,” Buck says quietly some time later, as he stands to stretch his arms above his head. His t-shirt lifts as he does and Eddie’s eyes lock on to the bare strip of skin before it disappears back behind the cotton. “We don’t want to wake him up by talking down here.”

“Yeah, let me just grab a glass of water and I’ll be up.” They’ve been sitting content in comfortable silence for a while, but he figures maybe talking about this is something Buck needs right now and so, he agrees easily.

“Cool,” Buck says before his soft footsteps fade towards the stairs. 

Eddie takes a moment to lift Christopher’s blanket up to his neck and brush the curls out of his face before standing. Only, when he turns he sees Buck pulling his shirt off as his foot hits the second step and, all of a sudden, he’s no longer thirsty. Well, not for water anyway. 

“What are you doing?” Eddie asks, because it’s clear from Buck’s mischievous smile that he’s up to something, however Eddie is currently too blissed out to even try to put it together. That is until…

“Nothing, my shirt was just itching, that's all. My pants kinda itch too. You still wanna help me feel better?” 

Okay, so they’re not talking at all. Good to know. 

Eddie doesn't know what his face is doing, but it must give away his arousal because Buck bites his lip and winks as he continues up the stairs. “See you in a minute, don’t wake Christopher.” 

Yeah, Eddie has no intentions of doing that. In fact, just to be sure, he forgoes the water completely in case the tap wakes him up. It won’t, he knows it won’t, but there’s no reason to take the chance. There’s no reason for water either. Of all the things in this house Eddie wants to feel on his tongue right now, water is definitely not number one on that list. So, without a second thought, Eddie leans down to place a kiss again Christopher’s forehead before following his boyfriend up the stairs. 

Luckily, Christopher sleeps like a log the whole night.


End file.
